"A small hardware placed at the location will ensure that 100 metres around the area becomes the bluetooth hotspot, where people get an alert about promotional offers in the surrounding retail environment. The applications could be audio or video images, which can be downloaded and shown at the counter to avail of the discounts claimed by the message," says Gautam Jayaraman, head of sales at Value First.
The Certificate Programme in Business Administration offered by the Institutes of Management has not found favour with information technology companies.
While some have announced setting up of a PE club for aspiring entrepreneurs, others plan courses, special lectures and seminars to create awareness about the booming sector. Students of the Post Graduate Programme for Executives at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, will go through a course on PE in their last term between December and February.
In a unique initiative, students from IIM-Ahmedabad will work with Communist Party of India - Marxist politburo member Sitaram Yechury and help in planning for the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme this year. They will be involved in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Provisions of the Right to Information Act will be analysed. Students will assess funds spent by the constituency and create a monitoring system.
With around 50 students interested in being members, the club will be a forum for students interested in all aspects of private equity and venture capital. As part of formalising the club, the students are holding the first intra-institute event called the 'Zen of Investing', where the club plans to invite alumni working in the area of private equity, besides involving the faculty and students for the activity.
After supplying Micro Electrical Mechanical System-based (MEMS-based) Inertial Navigation System to the Navy and the Airforce, Whirlybird Electronics, the co-incubated company of Indian Institute Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), is looking for markets in the automation and automobile industry.
Two ex-IIT Kharagpur students have decided to come out of their comfortable professional zones to create a venture called 'Demazi', which would enable SMEs to create their own IT solution online at a minimal cost. SMEs owners can log on to the website and key in the requirments they need from the software.
Institutes are encouraging students to work hands-on with the underprivileged of society.
Nothing seems to dampen the spirit of Gujarat's textile industry when it comes to investments. Inspite of the issues arising due to rising input costs, the state government is expecting to witness MoUs worth Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) in textile sector at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's Summit 2009. During the summit, the state government will be luring several textile machinery manufacturers from overseas to set up base in the state.